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“Damian Lillard was more deserving of the All-Star starting spot than me”: Luka Doncic admits that he was surprised that he was chosen to start in the All-Star Game over Portland superstar

Samir Mehdi
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“Damian Lillard was more deserving of the All-Star starting spot than me”: Luka Doncic admits that he was surprised that he was chosen to start in the All-Star Game over Portland superstar

Luka Doncic believes Damian Lillard deserved to start in the All-Star Game over himself and was taken aback by the results. 

With the NBA announcing the starters for the 2021 All-Star Game, there has been a whole lot of hubbub around the league about who got ‘snubbed’ from starting in the game. The Eastern Conference featured guys like James Harden who should have been in the starting lineup of the All-Star Game. 

The most popular ‘snubbing’ however, was Damian Lillard, according to most folks in the NBA. Luka Doncic and Steph Curry were chosen to represent the West’s backcourt.

It can’t be argued that Dame would take Curry’s starting spot, but having Dame in Doncic’s place seems much more reasonable. 

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Lillard has led the Portland TrailBlazers to an astonishing 18-10 record, which is good enough for 4th in the West. He has done this without having his running mates CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Zach Collins by his side. 

Luka Doncic admits that he believes Damian Lillard should’ve started over him in the All-Star Game. 

Doncic took to his post-game presser to react to being voted into the ASG as a starter over Damian Lillard, and not as a reserve. 

“I didn’t expect I was going to start this game. I know that maybe Lillard deserved it more than me. At the end of the day, two years from now, everybody is going to remember you were an All-Star, not a starter or non-starter.” 

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Luka does have a point. In the moment, it does feel as though Lillard has suffered a type of massive injustice but his resume when it’s all said and done will say merely, “2021 All-Star”. The history books do not care for whether you started in the game or not. 

Damian Lillard had a classy response to missing out on being an All-Star starter yet again. “When I was younger I cared a lot more. It’s obviously an accomplishment and something I haven’t done so I would have liked it. But I honestly wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t upset by it.” 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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